International Coastal Cleanup

Photos of International Coastal Cleanup Volunteers

On Saturday, September 17, volunteers from all over the world celebrated the International Coastal Cleanup (ICC). PBC Parks saw 625 volunteers participate in local cleanups at various PBC parks and beaches where over 1,081 pounds of litter and debris was removed from the environment!

Every year, Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful (KPBCB) coordinates ICC efforts in Palm Beach County from Tequesta down south to Boca Raton. The ICC is the world’s largest volunteer effort to cleanup the marine environment and aims to educate the public, influence public policy and effect behavioral change on the part of the individual, organizations and communities by gathering valuable information about the types and sources of debris found.

Linda Moreno, Executive Director of Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful shares “I hope that the International Coastal Cleanup inspires others who are watching around the world to act now…I am proud to be a part of this global movement and I appreciate all the help and support we get from our volunteers, site managers and community partners. My favorite part of organizing cleanups on a large scale is watching the children come together, seeing them engaged in learning about the environment and how they can learn from their experiences and practice sustainable habits.” A huge thanks from PBC Parks and KPBCB goes out to all the community partners and volunteers who gave their time to such an important cause that impacts this and future generations!

Great American Cleanup 2022

PBC Parks’ Adopt-A-Park Partners celebrated the Great American Cleanup on April 23^rd and April 30^th,  2022. The Great American Cleanup is an annual program of Keep America Beautiful that unites and beautifies community’s across the nation by influencing individuals to take greater responsibility for their local environment by participating in community service projects. Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, an affiliate of Keep American Beautiful, coordinates the Great American Cleanup project in Palm Beach County. With help from Keep Palm Beach County Beautiful, our Adopt-A-Park Partners hosted 13 cleanups from Jupiter down south to Boca Raton to participate in the nation-wide event.

The Great American Cleanup brought 394 volunteers who donated 1,039 hours of service and removed over 866 pounds of litter and debris from our parks and beaches! Litter and debris most commonly reported was cigarette butts and various forms of plastic pieces. The donations of our dedicated volunteers’ time and energy used to improve our community is why volunteers continue to be the heart of PBC Parks.

Power of Parks: Sandi Schwartz

Welcome to Power of Parks, a podcast produced by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, where we share inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks, and recreation.

Episode 19 features Sandi Schwartz — a Palm Beach County resident and author of “Finding Ecohappiness: Fun Nature Activities to Help Your Kids Feel Happier and Calmer.” She’s also a passionate environmentalist, and spent years working in the environmental field and she’s dedicated to helping others recognize the ways nature can help minimize stress and increase happiness.

Power of Parks: Jessica Gray

Welcome to Power of Parks, a podcast produced by the Palm Beach County Parks and Recreation Department, where we share inspiring stories from people who have benefited from nature, parks and recreation.

Episode 16 features Jessica Gray, the founder of Boca Save Our Beaches, a non-profit organization dedicated to protecting marine ecosystems through community collaboration, conservation, and educational awareness. There’s also a long-time Adopt-A-Park Partner with PBC Parks and they host a number of beach cleanups throughout the year. In the podcast, Jessica shares some of the ways the organization helps PBC Parks achieve our goal of promoting stewardship of natural sites.